Episode 23
Started Kaasai 3 Months Pregnant, Won a £1.4M Grant, & Now Closing a £143M Contract | Maryann Chen
▶ Watch
🎧 Listen
She started a company three months pregnant. Everyone thought she was insane. Now Maryann Chen, Founder and CEO of Kaasai, is about to close a contract worth £143 million over five years — and she did it without traditional venture capital. In this episode of Plunge Into Prosperity, Brandi Kolosky sits down with Maryann to unpack how her AI platform is automating data collection and management for the energy sector, why vehicle-to-grid technology could reshape how we power everything, and what happens when a woman with a finance background decides to build infrastructure the entire clean energy transition depends on. They go deep on why VCs consistently fail to understand operational AI businesses, why women founders generate higher returns yet receive a fraction of the funding, and what it means to raise capital from strategics instead of traditional funds. Maryann shares how she won a £1.4 million Innovate UK grant, partnered with private equity businesses and universities, and delivered 40 percent efficiency gains in operating expenses. Brandi also shares her own journey — from accidentally raising $50 million for Formula E to inventing a flare-gas-to-power system deployed in Alberta and North Dakota. This is a conversation between two women who build things the world needs and refuse to wait for permission. 🔗 CONNECT WITH MARYANN: → Email: maryann.chen@kaasai.ai → LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maryann-chen-47236b45
Show Notes
00:00 → Welcome & Guest Introduction 00:55 → Maryann's "Just Do It" Philosophy — Why You Don't Need Expertise to Start 02:00 → Pattern Spotting & the Power of Curiosity 02:50 → Prosperity Is the World You Leave Your Children 03:43 → The Bold Plunge: Starting Kaasai While 3 Months Pregnant 05:56 → What Kaasai Actually Does — "Data Sets You Free" 07:05 → Vehicle-to-Grid (V2X) Explained: EVs as Bidirectional Batteries 09:00 → Maritime Energy: Red Funnel Ferries & Artemis Technologies 09:37 → Living in the Bahamas — Building a Global Company from Anywhere 10:33 → The £143 Million Contract & Raising Strategic Capital 11:17 → The Data on Women Founders: A Dollar In, a Dollar Seventy-Eight Back 14:12 → "We're Too Good" — Maryann's Theory on Why Women Get Over-Benchmarked 14:54 → Land and Expand: From Fleet to Maritime to Data Centers 16:01 → Brandi's Energy Story: Flare Gas, Bitcoin Mining & the Invention Nobody Knows About 23:00 → Trusting the Universe: Data, Spirit, and Desperate Energy 23:50 → Why Maryann Ditched VCs for Strategic Capital 25:39 → ASAs Explained: The UK Version of a SAFE Note 27:44 → Where to Find Maryann 28:00 → From Treasury to Founder: How Managing Other People's Money Changed Everything 29:17 → Fiduciary Responsibility and Why Rejecting Women-Led Deals May Be Illegal 30:39 → AI Policies, Cybersecurity, and Why Brandi Won't Connect Claude to OneDrive 32:09 → Have You Ever Invested in Someone Else's Company? 33:28 → What Investors Don't Understand About AI in Energy 34:57 → The Mining Company Story: Predictive Maintenance Done Right 35:25 → Close — "Just Always Take the Damn Plunge"
About the Guest
Maryann Chen is the Founder and CEO of Kaasai, an AI company automating the collection, translation, and management of data for the energy sector. With over 18 years of experience in finance, digital transformation, and technology innovation, Maryann has led Kaasai through a £1.4 million Innovate UK V2X demonstration grant, delivered 40 percent efficiency gains in operating expenses for clients, and is currently negotiating a contract valued at £143 million over five years. Before founding Kaasai, she held finance and operations roles including treasury management, cash flow, and compliance across organizations including PRS for Music and The FD Centre. She holds an MBA from AGSM at UNSW Business School. Maryann is based in the Bahamas and is currently raising strategic capital to expand Kaasai across fleet management, maritime, and data center verticals globally.
The Prosperity Portal
Dive Deeper
Join a community of conscious leaders and receive weekly insights on regenerative wealth, sacred economics, and abundant living.